First Day of Spring

For glad Spring has begun, / And to the ardent sun / The earth, long time so bleak, / Turns a frost-bitten cheek.

American poet, Celia Thaxter

Why It Matters: Today marks the vernal equinox — a day when we (in the Northern Hemisphere) have equal lightness and darkness in a single day — a sign of the seasons transitioning to the longer daylight of spring and summer versus the darker days of winter.

Whether it’s gathering in an ancient city in Mexico to watch a “shadow snake” slither down a pyramid or seeing the sunrise at a prehistoric (and mysterious) monument in England’s Stonehenge, people celebrate spring in a myriad of ways. Stateside, we know the new season often signals a most celebrated time in Washington, D.C., peak bloom for the cherry blossoms in our nation’s capital.

Read More: Vernal Equinox (History)

First Day of Spring 2025: The Spring Equinox (The Old Farmers Almanac)

Image Credit: Adobe Stock / Prime1001